Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator Ronaldson. Can the minister advise the Senate of what steps the government is taking to address the mental health challenges facing veterans and their families and of any alternative policies?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Seselja for his question about this very, very important issue. Tackling the mental health challenges faced by veterans and their families is a key policy priority for this government. Each year the Department of Veterans' Affairs spends some $166 million on veterans' mental health. This is demand driven; it is not capped. This is part of a $12.5 billion budget—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would have thought that this matter probably had the support of all honourable senators. If it hasn't then that is a reflection on them, not on me. That is part of a $12.5 billion budget—

Opposition senators interjecting—

that is an extraordinary interjection—including income support compensation and health care. Consultation formed part of the approach of this government when in opposition over the three years prior to the election. That consultation—and I did 110 veterans forums around the country—formed part of our veterans policy—a policy which was not matched by the Australian Labor Party, because they had no policy at all. They had done no consultation at all. As a result of that consultation, last Thursday I announced a new way forward for consultation with veterans and the wider community about veterans' mental health, and that will be in the form of PMAC, the Prime Minister's Advisory Council on Veterans' Mental Health.

This reconstituted PMAC will be dedicated to considering the needs of veterans and the mental health challenges they face. The PMAC will consider high-level and strategic issues and look to identify gaps in available services and innovative approaches to address them. It will provide advice to the Prime Minister and me about future directions for veterans mental health policy. Until recently— (Time expired)

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise the Senate of the task ahead for the Prime Minister's Advisory Council on Veterans' Mental Health? How does the new Prime Minister's Advisory Council elevate and focus this government's commitment to addressing the mental health challenges facing veterans?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I again thank the senator very much for his question. I know his longstanding interest in this matter. I just want to say that the new PMAC will be chaired by a former Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Crane. Vice Admiral Russ Crane shares my passion about the need to ensure that mental health assistance for veterans and their families is contemporary, relevant and achieving the right outcome. The deputy chair of the new PMAC will be Ben Roberts-Smith VC, MG. As a former serving soldier, Ben brings the unique perspective of a younger veteran, with a young family, to the PMAC. They will be joined by Mr Ryan Stokes, who is of course a member of the business community. I would like today to pay tribute to the enormous contribution that the Stokes family makes towards veterans. The other members of the PMAC will include representatives of the Partners of Veterans Association, the Ex-Service Organisations Round Table, the Mental Health Commission and the departments of Defence and Veterans' Affairs.

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister inform the Senate of any other measures the government is taking to support the health and wellbeing of veterans and their families?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, I thank the senator very much for his question. As minister I have streamlined four committees into two which are providing internal advice to me. The first forum deals with the needs of our recently returned veterans, and that will be the Younger Veterans—Contemporary Needs Forum, which has combined the old Emerging Issues Forum and the Operational Working Party to focus specifically on the needs of younger and returned veterans. The other forum is the National Aged and Community Care Forum, which specifically addresses the challenges facing older veterans, and their health issues, and those faced by their families. I am confident this new approach will ensure the government receives the very best targeted advice about how we can tackle mental health challenges. As I said in my earlier answer to the senator, we spend $166 million on mental health services. We are doing more, but there is always more that can be done. We might need to recognise that in the last 20 years some 72,000 young— (Time expired)